Hum, Doug
Douglas (Doug) Wing Dock Hum was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother, Tuey Ping Lee-Hum, traveled from China to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1937 as a member of a touring Cantonese Opera troupe. Tuey Ping Lee-Hum played lead male roles for the Chinese Freemason-sponsored Jin Wah Sing opera troupe, performing in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, Quebec. The performances raised funds for Chinese refugee relief through the Red Cross and called attention to the Japanese invasion of China. After touring with the troupe, she settled in Toronto, where she met and married Doug’s father, Hum See Tong, and performed with the Jin Hong Sing opera troupe. As a child, Doug accompanied his mother to New York City, USA, for three or four years while the Jin Hong Sing performed for Chinese American audiences. In his adult life, Doug Hum has been devoted to serving Toronto’s Chinese community; he has worked in various roles at University Settlement, a social service centre located near Toronto’s downtown Chinatown. He has also worked as a social worker and community liaison for Jack Layton, when Layton was first elected Toronto City Councillor in 1982. At the time of the interview, Doug resided in Toronto with his wife Fern.
In this interview, Doug Hum speaks about his mother Tuey Ping Lee-Hum’s career as a Cantonese opera performer in the 1930s and 1940s. He describes her opera troupe’s fundraising efforts leading up to and during the Second World War, and her preference for playing male roles in the opera. He recalls early childhood memories of playing with the children of other opera performers. While recounting early childhood memories of Toronto, Ontario’s Chinatown and lists the major organizations that sponsored Cantonese opera. He humorously relates how his mother’s opera personality carried over to her strict rule of the household. The focus of the interview switches to Doug&
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